Gnats are the most annoying pests that can infest your home. They hover around your head, get in your ears and drive you crazy. Gnats can seem like a never-ending problem but you can get rid of them.

Where They Come From

Gnats, also commonly called fruit flies or vinegar flies, are attracted to the smell of rotten food. They particularly enjoy sink drains, trash cans and other moist, dark places. One gnat can lay up to 300 eggs in it’s short lifespan. Even one gnat getting into your house can be enough to start a war. The eggs are too small to see but if you notice any of these bugs in your house, chances are they’ve already laid eggs.

How To Prevent Them

If you don’t want gnats around, your best option is to prevent them from ever becoming an issue. Keep all food sealed and never leave open food products around for long. Take out your trash frequently. Don’t ever keep a compost bucket inside, these can provide great places for gnat eggs to mature. Learn how to care for your house plants and avoid over watering them. There is one type of household gnat that is notorious for infesting waterlogged soil. You can also hang sticky gnat traps in inconspicuous areas to kill any gnats that come in from outside.

How To Get Rid Of Them

If you already have a gnat infestation, you need more than prevention strategies. There are a lot of home remedies to get rid of the obnoxious bugs. One effective method is to spray your house with a homemade concoction of diluted lemongrass oil. You can find lemongrass oil at most drug stores. Use 10 drops per 2 ounces of hot water and use it all around the inside of your house. A side benefit to this solution is that it will also kill spiders and ants. Another way to kill them is to use apple cider vinegar and dishwashing liquid. Fill up a cup with the vinager and add just a squirt of the dishwashing liquid. Gnats will drink this liquid and then sink to the bottom and be trapped. If it’s your house plants causing the problem, you want to pick up some food grade diatomaceous earth at any garden nursery. Layer your plant’s top soil with about a 1/2 inch of the diatomaceous earth. This will take care of any gnat larvae lurking in the soil.

If you need a guaranteed and fast way to remove the gnats, you might want to consider using chemicals. Supermarkets and hardware stores sell a variety of sprays for flying insects. Any of these will take care of your problem. If the infestation is severe enough, you’ll need to use a chemical bug bomb. This will require you to seal up your cabinets and any other places you keep your food. After you use the bomb, you’ll need to leave the house for several hours. Be sure to take your pets with you.